I hear that the party designation has been left off the ballot at Sudley Elementary. I am trying to get confirmation. The sample ballot is accurate. Stranger things have happened.
How about sharing some election news. Is voter turn out light or heavy? Are people packing heat at the polls? (is that legal or illegal?)
Are the candidates at the polls?
Where are the good parties tonight? I only got 2 invitations. I am not sure who has the best ones, D or R. Who drinks the best scotch?
Feel free to post a sample Republican ballot here. Not trying to be partisan, just trying to convey the message. (although I am fairly partisan, not because of party but because of issues.)
Turnout was light but steady at my precinct this morning, but that was early.
“Packing Heat” would be illegal at most polling places, I would imagine, as they are primarily k-12 schools.
How about if the voting was at a library? Would it then be legal?
A press release from DPVA is causing a bit of a buzz amongst the blogs and the media. Look like they anticipate a very poor showing today:
“While many competitive districts shifting to be more Democratic long-term, the demographic gains we’ve made are among populations who do not typically turn out to vote, especially in an off-off-off year. While our unprecedented field and targeting programs have helped, all data shows that likely voters this election are still much more Republican. And fatigue from the seventh year of a Democratic presidency in a state with five statewide Democrats hurts the environment even more.
. . .
Ultimately — and against the odds — Democrats have invested in, and executed, data and field programs that will pay dividends, both on Tuesday and long into the future.”
I didn’t sit around and watch. I went leaf watching on my favorite road in all of northern VA.
If there was a high voter turn out for Republicans, it is the efforts of the Parrish campaign. I got no less than 21 calls from that campaign. I started counting after I noticed I got a lot. They were for me, not Mr. Howler. What gives? I don’t think they communicated with each other. I just got one 15 minutes ago. Here comes another one right now. 23 so far.
ALL party designation are left off of races below federal and state races by dictate of state law according to notices at my precinct. I had to use by endorsement fliers to see who was who in some of the low level races.
I’ve started selecting write-in as for any races that are uncontested just to encourage more competition in future races. And I don’t ever vote for bonds. It is crazy that politicians claim that voting against a bond is simply voting against cheaper funding and they still have the authority to spend the money, just from more expensive sources. I don’t vote no…I just don’t vote yes either.
I’m still angered that I have to present a photo id and then forced to recite my name and address. That is as stupid as asking people to vote on bonds. More forced dancing for the amusement of partisans, I suppose.
When can I do this on my phone?
Ed said
I agree, Ed. I resent the hell out of it. I also don’t like reciting my name and address in front of the audience. I find it to be a violation of my privacy. A voter registration card should suffice or a licence in lieu of a card should do. I vote absentee to avoid it. The bad knee should be good for something.
I sing the Modern Major General song from the Pirates of Penzance
Worked all day, pick up my son and went to a great parent-teacher conference and then took my son to vote. No issue as usual.
WTOP tried to interview my husband outside our polling place, but he was in too much of a hurry to get on I-66 before tolls kicked in that he politely declined.
I was in and out within 2 minutes at 6:30 this morning.
And I also resent having to recite my name and address. We’re not five-year-olds.
I went by Sudley to see a friend who was working outside. I thought it was awfully crowded until she told me that it was parent-teacher day.
@Moon-howler
“I thought it was awfully crowded until she told me that it was parent-teacher day.”
An obvious plot by the VEA to dampen GOP turn-out. Don’t even try to claim that the PTO wasn’t waiving lead pipes around….
Ha!!
could be.
Seriously, Steve. Why isn’t party affiliation used in local elections? I had never noticed that before. My husband said there was none by any of the candidates. I think that is horrible. Surely Republicans and Democrats can agree party needs to be included.
@Moon-howler
I’m not sure…but I think that only applies to constitutional offices, at least here in the City. I seem to remember the Senate and HOD race had party affiliation next to the name.
I just asked my brother. He said no party affiliation in Loudoun County either…not at the state level.
This is ridiculous. I want to know that information.
I understand that school board members don’t run under affiliation but it should be marked for everyone else.
I will be on-the-road tomorrow, so am posting my election post-game show comments now.
Looks like the balance of power remains status quo:
http://www.nbc12.com/story/30429087/sturtevant-beats-gecker-to-take-seat-left-vacant-by-sen-watkins
The Senate and the HOD remain in GOP control. Terry McAuliff spent a butt-load of OPM and didn’t change a thing. We can debate the individual races till November 2016, but that’s debating history. The fact is, by not winning back the Senate, T-Mac lost…and I say he lost BIG.
First off, he’s not just a lame duck…he’s a dead duck. None of his legacy issues will even see a floor-vote in either house. No medicare expansion. No gun-control, nothing.
The only thing he’s got is a budget veto, and this is a budget year. But here’s the thing, the Commonwealth isn’t like the Federal government. The state constitution forbids him to run a deficit. He can’t push through any spending bills. He can only defend current spending. No more power tomorrow, than he had yesterday, and he can’t run again.
But here’s where I think he really lost: The eyes and the wallets of those Dem big-spenders were watching. They wrote big checks to fund his strategy, and got ZIPPY for it. This will hurt him in 2016, as a VP contender, and will also limit somewhat the amount of money outsiders are willing to dump into VA. T-Mac’s coat-tails are so short, they aren’t worth mentioning.
The big winners: Gun owners and fiscal conservatives in Virginia. Sure, I would have loved for McPike to have gotten thumped, but Gecker did get thumped, Black survived, and the stolen-valor liar Mcollum was rejected by his vet-heavy district, despite tons of outside Democrat money flooding into these races. It also shows that what little momentum the Dems had state-wide in 2013 has been lost. They are treading water now….marking-time…not even half-stepping.
On to 2016. We’ll take the draw, as it hurts the Governor, and any would-be Dem gubernatorial candidate without legacy coat-tails to hitch on to. It’s Virginia….always another election to get ready for.
I am sure Starry, Censored and the rest who lean toward more “progressive” candidates will
I am sure Starry, Censored and the rest who lean toward more “progressive” candidates will want to point out that no Dem Senate seats were lost…and they’d be factually correct. However, no GOP seats were lost, either, and when your party only controls the Executive, and none of the Executive offices were on the ballot, I will say that you lost, because you did not win.
I felt the election was disappointing. I am most disappointed, however, that negative local behavior prevailed.
I haven’t dwelled on the election here and I am not going to dwell on it tomorrow or the next day. I am going to celebrate that Hal Parrish’s (who I do like)peeps won’t be calling my house. My final one came in tonight. 24 is just too many.
I don’t think there were winners or losers. It pretty much just stayed the same. My biggest investment of time was answering the telephone.